I put together a playlist of dark/“yami” songs from Japanese music.
They’re feelings you can’t tell anyone, but everyone has some abnormal emotions.
A lot of the lyrics are scary, but if you listen, I think many people will find them relatable.
It’s a collection of masterpieces that turn messy, irreconcilable emotions—things that can’t be wrapped up with pretty words—into song.
- [Melancholy] For when you want to sink all the way. Masterpieces that depict various kinds of gloom.
- [Yami Song] A mental breakdown track that sings the true feelings of a melancholic heart
- [Dark Songs] A carefully curated selection of deeply dark tracks and heartbreaking songs that accompany you in tough times
- Masterpieces that sing of despair. Recommended popular songs.
- [Trash Songs] A carefully curated selection of tracks about the lowest, worst kind of loser—and hidden gems!
- [Yami Song] Fight darkness with darkness!? Deep tracks that stay close to your pain
- A masterpiece that sings of loneliness. Recommended popular songs.
- Hidden gems among tear-jerker songs. Recommended popular tracks.
- A spine-chilling scary song: masterful tracks that evoke fear and eerie recommended songs
- Masterpieces that sing about loneliness: J-pop to listen to when you're alone
- [Songs to Listen to When You Want to Die] I want to disappear... A song to support you who feel that way
- A melancholic “yami” song that was a hit in the 2000s. A bittersweet track.
- Stalker’s Song: A Rhapsody of Twisted Love
Hidden gems of “yami songs.” Recommended popular tracks (1–10)
Even if I dieKoresawa
It’s a love song that craves the other person to the point you could call it mad love, digging out true feelings by imagining the extreme scenario of disappearing from this world.
It’s a track by Koresawa, a singer-songwriter who widely uses a bear character as her visual motif, released in November 2020 and chosen as the opening theme for Fuji TV’s program “Love music” for December of the same year.
The contrast between the approachable melody and the heavy emotion of wanting to monopolize the other person makes a strong impact.
It’s a song I’d recommend to those whose love is so strong it makes them anxious—a track whose weighty expressions at every turn can feel a little scary.
I’d rather die.Fuji Kaze
This is a song by Fujii Kaze that expresses an extreme sentiment—preferring death over parting from the one you love.
Despite its light, jazz- and R&B-infused sound that doesn’t feel gloomy, don’t you sense a touch of darkness for a straightforward love song in the lyrics that depict an excessive obsession with the other person? It’s filled with lingering regret about not wanting to suffer remorse after losing them, suggesting that the feeling of love for the other person has become distorted.
The song is included on the album “HELP EVER HURT NEVER,” released in May 2020, and it was performed on a TV program in December 2022.
It’s a track I’d recommend to anyone whose feelings for someone have reached a peak and who is feeling suffocated.
Lead controlnarumiya
This is a yandere love song with a cool, jazz-infused, hard-hitting sound wrapped in a suspicious atmosphere.
It portrays a warped relationship where the balance of power keeps flipping as the narrator craves the other so intensely it could be called mad love, calling out their partner’s sloppiness while still wanting to keep them close—an obsession laid bare.
The rapidly shifting song structure feels like a projection of the changing emotions.
Created entirely by the artist Narumiya—who handles lyrics, composition, and more—this piece was released in September 2024.
It’s a must-listen for anyone who loves someone so much they don’t know what to do with themselves.
That rumored kidmurasaki ima
This is a yandere song that portrays being so overwhelmingly in love with someone that you’re practically high.
Released by Murasaki Kon in April 2025, it unfolds after the acclaimed album eMulsion from the same year and spread without any film or TV tie-ins.
It depicts a state where both body and mind are abnormal, craving the other so intensely it could be called mad love, unable to let go; the brisk pacing is addictive.
Wanting to know everything about the person you love, you sink deeper and deeper into darkness…
When the mere fact that they exist is what constitutes your life, that’s a pretty severe case.
Let these overflowing feelings for your beloved wash over you—give it a listen even when you’re feeling down or troubled.
The Howling of the Lost OneKagamine Rin
A song about a teenage boy agonizing and lamenting because he can’t understand the feelings of the girl he likes.
He’s good at science and math but bad at language arts, and he uses school subjects as a metaphor to express how unreadable her feelings are.
He’s also pessimistic about the fact that he’s drunk on love and tormented by it.
BathroomShiina Ringo
If you like Sheena Ringo, you’ll probably get hooked on the instantly catchy, upbeat melodies and the lyrics that spark your imagination.
It’s a song that lingers, especially with lines like “Once I’ve completely melted, be sure to eat me right away,” which are particularly suggestive and leave a lasting impression.
neat freakHatsune Miku
I don’t need these filthy emotions.
Humans are too greedy.
For the sake of happiness, they easily go along with others, and when it becomes inconvenient, they betray them.
Everyone’s dirty.
That’s what the song is about.
If you’re going through something hard in your relationships, give it a listen.
It’ll definitely make you feel better.